Our search process consists of three main phases: Definition, Design and Delivery.

It has been created, constructed, and refined through our 50+ years of operating experience. Our mindset is that of mission-critical urgency where our reputation is at stake with each leadership hire.

There are thousands of things that happen during a search project and we understand if any of them are done incorrectly, the successful outcome of the mission is at risk. We also recognize your leadership hire is too important to outsource to a junior recruiter without sufficient operating experience.

Each search is actively managed by a senior partner with adequate capacity to drive a successful outcome. We know even the most senior search professional that is oversubscribed will lead to a less-than-optimal outcome.

Our process-oriented approach first strives to create a common understanding and language in the requirements of the leadership role. This involves extensive meetings with the executive team as well as key influencers and potentially Board members. Investing the time to “Interview the Interviewers” is the only way to ensure alignment on what success looks like for the hire.

This stage is in place for several reasons. The first is that we need to identify and often create a common language for everyone to use as a key during the search. Second, we use this time to locate the natural tension between what is or will become the Security function and those responsible for innovation within the company. This natural tension is healthy and

should be exposed and understood before proceeding with a critical search.

Using what we learn, we carefully craft a position description that is customized to the company’s tone, culture and posture. Furthermore we utilize our time spent in the internal interview process to ensure alignment on a common language while determining the must-have and nice-to-have requirements for the role.

We then advise and work with the company in creating an understanding on candidate trade-offs. Being in the business for a collective 25+ years we understand there are no perfect candidates or positions and thus trade-offs must be considered.

Once we gain alignment on the requirements, we customize a search strategy to understand the key players in the industry as well as the thought leaders who must be reached.

Our initial introduction of candidates is designed to quickly calibrate with our client partners on attributes such as domain expertise, years of experience, cultural fit, etc.

"Deliver" is one of our favorite words. We pride ourselves on maniacal process-oriented execution. We leverage our network, our database as well as our research resources to uncover candidates that are not necessarily actively looking for their next adventure. Our process forces us to network with candidates to understand their backgrounds as well as career trajectory to ensure we only introduce candidates that are relevant to each opportunity.

We hate wasting time introducing candidates that aren’t a fit (even if they look good "on paper").

We schedule a weekly cadence call with our client-partners to provide an overview of the search and align on strategy, status and action items. We prepare our client-partners for each candidate meeting. We prepare and debrief with candidates on their meetings as well.

References and Closing Evaluations are key: We understand we cannot meet a candidate for an hour or two and assess their level of competence and fit for each role so we rely heavily on industry references to help us determine fit for each role. In certain cases we have also recommended, executed, and administered Candidate Case Studies with the goal being to better understand a candidate’s communication skills as well as their ability to perform in a group/peer setting. More details are available regarding our Case Study process.

Offer Stage: We think it’s silly to deliver an offer to a candidate that’s not ready to accept it. We understand there’s an extra amount of work required to ensure this doesn’t happen, however, it’s worth it. We invest the time required to understand each candidate’s career trajectory as well as their family situation to ensure compensation issues are removed from being a show-stopper.

Once an offer is accepted, we understand the search is not over. We are driving for LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS beyond the candidate's start date. We stay in touch and ensure things don’t go off-the-rails and candidates are performing beyond expectations well into their tenures.